Monthly Archives: March 2013

DANIEL TO VISIT COUNTRY COMMUNITIES AGAIN (2013)

At the launch of NICHE, Daniel announced he wanted five regional, rural and/or remote Australian communities to apply for him to spend a week in their community helping them find better ways to challenge homophobia and support local LGBTI people.  Daniel’s time for these five weeks will be free.

Daniel is happy to go to new places, or return to those places he visited during the original Beyond ‘That’s So Gay’ Tour.

All you need to do is answer the questions below and send it through to: niche@thatssogay.com.au.  More information on the timing will be negotiated with individual communities.

* Who?
* Where?
* What is life like for LGBTI people your way?
* How could having Daniel Witthaus for a week make a difference where you live?
* What opportunities could be taken advantage of during the week?  See www.thatssogay.com.au for ideas (e.g. ‘cuppas’ with locals, story collection, training, media, presentations, etc) Please list.
* What challenges might be faced to make this week a success?
* Is there the possibility to contribute funding for Daniel’s reasonable transport and accommodation for the week? (N.B. Daniel is based in Melbourne for 2013)

We look forward to hearing from you all.

MY NICHE AGENDA

In this article for ‘The Stirrer’ Daniel Witthaus discusses his launch of the National Institute for Challenging Homophobia Education (NICHE) and what it means for LGBTI people across regional, rural and remote Australia.

www.thestirrer.com.au/my-niche-agenda-daniel-witthaus/ (if this does not work, cut and paste the link into your browser)

Special attention is focused on what is really better these days, and what isn’t.  Daniel argues we need a focus on turning LGBTI ‘friendliness’ into LGBTI ‘supportiveness’.

HEPBURN SPRINGS: ALANNAH & MADELINE FOUNDATION

Daniel recently teamed up with The Alannah & Madeline Foundation (AMF) to deliver a full day’s professional development to a group of primary and secondary school teachers from Victoria’s Hepburn region.

Organised and delivered with funds donated by Daylesford’s annual Chill Out Festival, the national bullying organisation wanted to include Daniel’s experiences of working across the country in regional, rural and remote areas.  Daniel offered a mix of research, stories and strategies to help teachers in their everyday classrooms and school communities.

Well done to AMF and great effort thanks to Chill Out.

DANIEL GOES WEST

Thursday 24th January saw Daniel ‘GoWest’ to the Williamstown Library to present with a panel of local people from the LGBTI communities in Melbourne’s west.

Daniel presented on his experiences of travelling around regional, rural and remote Australia to challenged homophobia one cuppa at a time, and used this as a context for local stories.

Around 50 local people enjoyed this Midsumma Festival event, with heart-warming, funny and powerful experiences from a range of characters.

www.midsumma.org.au/event/stories-from-out-west